Legend of Link
by Dreamflight4798
Summary: What would happen if Link fell through the clouds instead of Zelda, leaving her to find the Goddess sword and become the Hero?
1. Black Tornado Mix-Up

_Zelda's POV_

I looked up at Link, riding peacefully on his Crimson Loftwing. Immediately, I had to tell him.

"...Link? Hey, Link!"

He turned back to look at me, a questioning expression on his face.

"Today was amazing. Watching you win the race and performing the ritual together...I'll always remember this. It really was wonderful."

Link smiled broadly, and I returned with one of my own. Then, I made myself say what I was thinking.

"You know...Link...There's something I've been meaning to talk to you about..."

Suddenly, a fiery burst of light came out of nowhere. I turned away, to protect my eyes, and when I looked back, there was a huge black twister."

"What is that?" I cried. Our Loftwings were pulled in by the powerful winds, and as they fought, I heard Link cry out, "What's going on?" As a strong updraft sent my Loftwing spinning, I saw Link unbalance and fall into the center of the tornado.

"Ahhh! Zelda!" he cried as he plummeted. I steered my bird into a dive, but the tightly spinning winds sent me flying off the back of my partner bird. I fell unconscious barely a second later. All I could think was: _Link! I have to help him!_

*.*

I was falling in a back pit. I heard a voice that I had never encountered before.

"Zelda...?" It said. I opened my eyes and saw a woman above me. Her skin was blue, with half of her clothes dyed purple. She was surrounded by purple and white light.

"I am waiting for you," she said. "The time has come for you to awaken. You are vital to a mission of great importance. Zelda..."

The woman vanished to be replace by Link. I reached out to him, crying his name as he fell into the jaws of an enormous black monster with lots of teeth.

*.*

I woke up, sitting up straight. I heard my father's voice.

"Ah, you're awake."

I turned and saw him standing over me. "What happened?" I asked. "Where is Link?"

"When your Loftwing carried you back," he told me, "you were limp and unconscious. I feared the worst. Fortunately, you don't appear to have any serious injuries. For that much, we can be grateful. But Zelda...Where's Link? He was with you, was he not? What has happened to him?"

I looked down, remembering the twister. Slowly, I returned my gaze to my Father's concerned face. I began to talk, not wanting to believe what I was saying, but incapable of denying it.

"A black tornado, you say?" he mused. "Hmm. That was no ordinary storm."

He turned his back on me, and I swung my legs over the side of the bed and began to strap on my boots. My father turned around, saw what I was doing, and held up a warning hand.

"You must not push yourself. You're still recovering. Tell me, when you saw Link today, did anything seem...off? About either of you?"

"Yes," I answered. "I heard a voice, and told Link about the surface. And Link said he'd been having dreams about a 'great mission'. I just had one myself."

My father stood there quietly, lost in thought. At length, he told me he doubted a connection between everything that was happening.

"I am concerned about Link," I told him. He placed a hand on my shoulder.

"I am as well," he replied. "But so long as he is with his Loftwing, I'm sure he'll be fine. Either way, daybreak has yet to arrive. It would be difficult to spot one boy and his bird in the dark of night. It would also be very dangerous."

Removing his hand, my father walked to the door, then turned to face me.

"Rest now, Zelda. Link's going to be fine. He alive out there. I'm sure of it."

As my father left, I looked down at the floor, wondering if there was any more I could have done to help him. Then I heard a strange noise outside my room. I poked my head out into the hall and saw her: the blue-skinned woman from my dream. I walked out into the hall and she floated away.

What else could I do? I gave chase.


	2. The Longest Chapter EVER!

**Note:This is over 2000 words because I transcribed the entire scene from the game. You don't have to read this.**

* * *

The woman with blue skin floated-literally hovered off the ground by a few inches-all the way to the Statue of the Goddess. I gave chase, but found nothing but Kesse, Chuchus, and my father's Remlit Mia. Mia was particularly terrifying, because I had never seen a remlit during their night-craze before. I was severely scratched before I managed to toss her off the edge of the city, knowing that she would fly back up with those large ears.

Panting, I arrived in the courtyard of the Statue of the Goddess. The woman disappeared into the stone of the base, through the Goddess's symbol which glowed and a passageway opened behind her. Glancing over my shoulder to be sure I was alone, I ran into the doorway.

The room inside the Statue was not impressive at first glance: a sword poking out of a large stone was the only visible decoration. I cautiously approached the pedestal where the blade rested. Then, I noticed the blade was glowing.

The glow intensified for a moment and the woman I'd followed sprang from the hilt of the blade, hovering above the ground, crouched low in a bow. She rose and looked me square in the eye.

"The one chosen by my creator. I have been waiting for you. You will play a role in a great destiny," she said, her voice echoing slightly. "According to your social customs, I should provide you with my personal designation. Fi is the name I was given. I was created for a single purpose, long before the recorded memory of your people. I must aid you in fulfilling the great destiny that is your burden to carry."

I stared at this self-proclamed "Fi" with confusion. She had to be the woman of my dream, and yet...I wasn't so sure about the whole "great destiny" and "burden" stuff. I was just a kid!

Fi turned around and gave the sword behind her a meaningful glance.

"Come, Zelda," she said. "You must take up this sword. As the one chosen by my creator, it is your destiny."

"What if I don't want it?" I asked. "What if I say no, and don't take the sword? Please tell me I can still say no."

"Under the circumstances, it is only logical that you would exhibit some apprehension." I glared hard at her, upset she had not answered me.

"To minimize your uncertainty, allow me to share some information. My projections indicate that this information has a high probability of altering your current emotional state. The one you seek, the honorable Link, is still alive."

I gasped. Link was okay? He wasn't dead? I had to smile with utter relief.

"And this spirit youth...the one you call Link...is another chosen one, fated to be part of the same great mission," Fi continued. "Therefore, should you wish to meet with your friend, I highly recommend you take up this sword before you set out to search for him."

I was still in shock as she kept talking.

"Does that information invigorate you? Are you ready to accept this sword?"

"If it's to find Link..." I said to myself quietly. Without finishing the thought, I ran up the pedestal. Fi rose above me and I watched her warily. She smiled.

"It seems that further persuasive measures will not be required. In the name of my creator, draw the sword and raise it skyward."

"Alright," I answered, standing before the blade. I gripped the hilt with both hands and pulled hard. It slid slowly from the stone base that held it, and when it came free, I raised it above my head. Bluish white light traveled down the length of the blade, lighting the whole sword with an eerie glow. As the blade pulsed with light, Fi smiled down at me.

"Recognition complete, Mistress..." she said. "Zelda...My mistress."

I lowered the Goddess Sword to look at the dissipating light, and heard a familiar voice call, "Zelda!"

"Father!" I cried, surprised at his presence. He looked down at me from the top of the passage, looking taken aback himself.

"I've had my suspicions, but until now I wasn't sure," he said in a reverent tone, almost talking to himself. "Yet here we are in the Chamber of the Sword, the very place where it was foretold the youth of legend would one day appear. it is said that this place was left to our people by the Goddess herself. The very knowledge of this room's existence is a secret passed down to a select few each generation, along with a handful of words..."

"Words, father?" I asked, straightening up. "What words?"

Folding his hands behind his back, my father's expression went slightly blank as he remembered them.

"_When the light of the Goddess's sword shines bright, the great apocalypse will wake from it's long slumber. Do not fear for it is then a youth, guided by my hand shall reveal herself in a place most sacred._ It started a few days ago. The sword I've kept secret for all these years...it began to give off a faint, otherworldly light."

"At first," he continued, walking toward me, "I was sure I was seeing things, here alone with the sword. There was simply no other explanation. I never dreamed the prophecy of legend would come to pass in my lifetime. The words I have sworn to keep secret are coming true before my very eyes."

My father looked at Fi and began to quote again.

"_The youth will be guided by one born of the blade-one who also youthful in likeness yet wise with knowledge immeasurable._"

I turned to look up at Fi, who looked down at my father, a small smile on her face.

"Ah yes, the oral tradition," she remarked, matter of fact. "One of the least reliable methods of information retention and transmission. It seems that critical sections of the passage have been lost over the generations."

"There's more?" I asked. My father and I glanced briefly at one another in surprise. Personally, I felt a little information flooded.

Fi nodded and drifted down until she was only a few inches off the pedestal where the sword had once rested.

"_The youth who draws forth the guiding sword shall be known as the goddess's chosen hero, and it is she who possesses an unbreakable spirit. She shall be burdened with the task of abolishing the shadow of apocalypse from the land. Such is her destiny. With the spirit of the blade at her side, she shall soar over the clouds and plummet below...and united with the spirit youth, shall bring forth a piercing light that resurrects the land_."

I remembered what I had told Link earlier-had it really just been today? It felt like eons-about the mythical "surface" below the clouds. The world, bigger than Skyloft a hundred times over, below everything I'd ever seen. And now Fi was telling me I had to go there, through the cloud barrier.

"It is only through this journey that you can fulfil the mission set before you by my creator, the goddess. It is also the only method available for you to reunite with the spirit youth, honorable Link."

"All right," I said. My father came behind me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"This is no easy task, Zelda," he warned. "The surface is a forsaken place, and to reach it you must pierce the cloud barrier below. In living memory, no one has ever done this."

"I have to do it Father," I told him firmly. "Link is down there. I can't just leave him. He's my best friend."

Fi's smile grew slightly, and she reached her...arms (I had not a clue as to what they really would be called) out and from them came a bright light. The light faded, revealing a stone tablet with an emerald on the face. As I held it in my hands, I ran my fingers over the weathered surface.

"This tablet will illuminate a path through the clouds to the land below," Fi explained. "Take it and place it in the altar behind me. To open the altar, you must strike the crest in this room with a Skyward Strike."

I nodded and ran to the floating goddess crest, shining deep blue in the faint light. I lifted the sword in my hand, and waited as it quivered with energy. A single diagonal slash unleashed a long line of light, hitting the crest and making it spin rapidly. With a small flash, a cylindrical altar with a rectangular opening in the center rose beneath the crest. Taking the Emerald tablet in my hands, I pushed it into the lower right corned, where it fit perfectly.

I didn't see anything change, but Fi began to speak after a moment of silence.

"Mistress Zelda, it is done," she said calmly. "Until now, the cloud barrier was impassable, but when you place the tablet into the altar, a small rift opened. You can travel to the world below through the rift." She hesitated before starting again.

"I have recognised you as my mistress, and so it is my duty to follow you wherever you may go. I reside within your sword and will accompany you in your travels. Call out with your mind whenever you require my assistance."

Fi then leapt into the air, shrinking into a ball of light, which then entered the hilt of my new sword. My father approached the altar slowly.

"Zelda, listen a moment. The nature of the great apocalypse mentioned in the old texts is a complete mystery to me. You and Link both have great roles in the destiny of this land, that much I can tell. Should you heed the call of destiny, I don't know what dangers you may have to face, Zelda. Especially down there..."

"Father," I stopped him, "don't be worried about me. I have Fi to guide me now. I promise that I'll come back to the sky again. With Link one day too."

"You do your people proud, Zelda!" he answered, taking the hand that was not clenched around the handle of my sword with both of his. Then he looked at one of the openings in the ceiling.

"Dawn is drawing near. It has been a long night for both of us, hasn't it?" My yawn added emphasis to his words. "You have a long journey ahead of you Zelda, and that dress..." he looked me over. "It's not up to the task. The uniform Link was to receive for winning the race should be ready by now. With some adjustment, we can make them fit you, since Link is not here to claim them. The sturdy material should be much more suitable for a long journey."

"Very well, father," I replied, stifling another yawn. I put the goddess sword in it's sheath and walked back to the knight academy, my only plan to sleep until the uniform was ready.

*.*

It was about two hours later that I finished pulling on the resized uniform. I made sure the boots were on tight enough as my father entered the room.

"Ah, yes," he said. "That looks much better. I will admit, I had my doubts about the color..."

I looked at the tunic I was wearing. It was pale blue, almost white. It was a good color for me, and I was very glad that Professor Owlan hadn't pushed hard enough for this year's color to be green.

"Yes, I think you'll be ready after a quick stop at the bazaar," my father remarked. I nodded, strapping the goddess sword to my back. As I left the academy, I though fiercely, _I'm coming Link!_


	3. The Sealed Grounds

I watched the green column of light shining out of the clouds. My new wood shield was heavy on my back, along with my new sword.

My Father's parting words had been simple: Stay safe. I planned to, but venturing to the unknown surface was nerve-wracking enough without having my childhood friend to save.

Taking a deep breath, I leapt from the edge of Skyloft, feeling slightly heartbroken that it might be a long time before I'd come back. Shaking off the nostalgic feeling, I whistled for my loftwing. She came easily, and then we were soaring.

I guided my bird to the column of light, and gave a start as Fi leapt from my sword.

"Now Mistress," she called to me. "Dive into the column of light. When you reach the surface, use your sailcloth to slow yourself down for the landing."

I wondered how Fi knew. I _had_ brought extra material for a new sailcloth, but it was still rough, not quite the beautiful creation I had given Link. It made me sad to think of him, but I could see Fi's point.

I looked down at the circle in the clouds that had opened up. I could see green down there-maybe trees-but there was no defined shapes. Taking a deep breath, I leapt off my Loftwing and plummeted. Angling my fall, I found myself in the center of the light column. Straightening out and closing my eyes, I let gravity take me down. Down to the Surface. Down to Link.

It felt like I fell forever. I opened my eyes and saw trees and moss-covered stone rapidly approaching. I yanked the sailcloth from my belt and held it open. it caught and I drifted down onto a small stone circle. As I looked from left to right, Fi leapt from the Goddess Sword.

"Mistress Zelda, we have arrived. this is the fabled surface that has long been part of Skyloft Legend. By my calculations, you are positioned in a location known as the Sealed Grounds."

"Please proceed with caution, Mistress," Fi added, before returning to the blade. I took a steadying breath and forgot what I was doing right there.

The Surface smelled so different than the Sky. It smelled like rain and...like freshly tilled soil, and...so many other things I had no name for.

With a shake of my head, I returned to my senses. I was here for Link. Not for sightseeing.

I began to walk toward the ancient building I noticed on another ledge of the pit, when a huge plant came out from the ground.

"Ah!" I screamed, yanking my sword and shield free and holding them ready. "What is that thing!?"

"Target Lock: Deku Baba," Fi answered, though she had not left the sword at all; instead the hilt was flashing. "This violent plant is widespread in wooded areas. It will attempt to bite anything that approaches it."

"Like me!" I cried, dodging the mouthful of teeth. I slashed at it, but the crazed plant bounced away.

Though covered in a tough outer shell, the interior of its husk is soft. I have confirmed there are two varieties those that open their mouths vertically, and those which open them horizontally."

"Thanks!" I yelled, slicing in a line parallel to the ground, the way the Knight Commander had taught me. The Deku Baba turned black and faded into shadow as it's head fell in two neatly sliced halves. Then I noticed the one behind it. A quick up-slash finished that one.

I ran on, killing two more biting plants on the way. I then leapt down onto the threshold of the old building.

All at once, reality began to flicker. I looked around, but there was nothing on either side of me, nor behind me. Then I looked down into the pit.

It was far, but I saw it: a spike standing out of the ground. Dark wisps of smoke came from the earth around the spike. The ground trembled and the smoke flew out of the pit and blinded me. When I could see again, the world had gone red. The spike was gone, replaced by a growing pool of black. When I looked inside, I saw the face-or rather, facelessness-of the scaled monster from my dream. A sudden sharp pain pierced my forehead as I felt an ancient, malevolent presence. The creature rose from below me to standing above me, looking down with an apparent grin stretched across it's huge head, showing many sharp white teeth. Even as I drew my sword, I felt helpless. The monster lunged, as if to eat me...

And the world returned to how it should be.

"Fi?" I asked. "What happened."

She sprang from the Goddess sword at my call, ready with an answer.

"I cannot be sure, but I detect an 85% probability that you are reacting to the dark power bound to that sealing spike."

"Well then," I decided, "I'm going to go check it out."

It was a long climb, but I made it. Fi was right: just looking at the darkness seeming from beneath the spike made me nauseous. I drew my sword to make me feel safer. Then an idea struck: maybe raising the blade for a Goddess Strike would dispel some of the sick feeling.

As soon as I did, I felt so much better. Without thinking, I put the blade to my side, releasing the sacred energy. It soared, and then, hit the sealing spike dead center.

The spike-and the pattern on the ground around it-flared white. The black smoke vanished, along with my nausea. Then, the hole in the ground began blowing large currents of air. Fi appeared to give a report.

"Mistress, I have detected a change in the immediate area, a reaction to your Skyward Strike. I have also detected an aura that registers with your necklace."

For a moment, I was confused. Then I realized what she was talking about and pulled it free of my knight's uniform. A simple, wooden carving of the Goddess' symbol: a Loftwing flying towards three conjoined triangles. Link had given it to me on my last birthday, carving it himself. I had never worn it until now. Fi nodded at the necklace and continued.

"I summarize that this aura belongs to Link. I can lead you to this aura. Would you like me to?"

"Yes!" I yelled, excited again. Fi explained how she could douse, and the second she reentered my sword, I pulled it out and doused for Link. The signal was up by the old temple, so I caught a ride on one of the updrafts. When I landed, I noticed that a glowing orange eye-with-a-tear-symbol burned out. I ran over and pushed on the doors.

Slowly, they swung open and I walked in...


	4. Sealed Temple Revelation

Link wasn't in the temple, as I had hoped. It was empty aside from an old woman wearing a tall hat. I walked to her and she looked up at me, her long braid swinging.

"Ah, the traveler from the clouds. I welcome you, child of fate."

"You know who I am?" I asked, taken aback. She nodded.

"Oh yes, I have waited for your arrival for many years. May I ask your name, young one?"

"I'm Zelda.'

"Zelda..." She mulled over the name for a few long moments. "Very good. and I sensed that you have already gained control of the sacred energy of the Skyward Strike. It means that it is time for me to fulfill my purpose as you guide."

"What is this place?" I asked. "I've never been here, but it feels familiar."

"You stand in the Sealed Temple," she answered without hesitation, "a place the Goddess herself built an eternity ago. It was foretold you would come, along with the Spirit Youth. He came just a little before you. It is no coincidence that you are here now: the gears of fate are turning."

"Link?!" I cried. "So he was here! Just like Fi said!" The woman nodded.

"Yet all is not well." I stopped feeling so good right then. "The Spirit Youth should not have come yet, nor in the way he did. There is a great evil at work, trying to warp the destinies the two of you are part of."

"But what about Link?" I asked desperately. "Where is he now?"

"I know you are concerned about him," the old woman sympathized. "But for now, you must focus on the path forward. I sent the spirit youth to Faron Woods to learn his destiny. You must follow. Faron woods is East of here."

"All right," I answered, taking the map she proffered out to me. "Anything I should know before I leave?"

"Please take the contents of the treasure chest in this room. It will help you on your journey. Oh, and Zelda..."

"Yes?"

"Do not be discouraged by what I say; it is only the truth. You were not meant to be the Hero of the Goddess. The Spirit Youth, the one you call Link, was the one destined to draw that sword."

"Then why am I here?" I asked. I was more than a little surprised. Fi had taken me as her Mistress. Link had been the one who fell. And this old woman was telling me it was all a mistake?

"You are here because it is your fate, whether you were the Hero or the Spirit Maiden," she answered. "Do not let it trouble you. Destiny has a way of straightening everything out."

With a shake of her braid and a sound like jingling bells, the door to my right unlocked itself.

"I wish you safe travels, Zelda," the old woman called after me as I left. "Know that all the questions you have will be answered in time. For now, go bravely!"

I pushed open the heavy door and walked out into the sunshine, confused and worried. What _was_ my destiny?


	5. Faron Woods (minus long Kikwi search)

I left the temple upset and more than a little confused, a new potion stored in my pouch. I walked in a haze all the way up the hill, and then I heard the cries for help. I drew my sword-an automatic action.

Off the small cliff where I stood, a round, humanoid creature was surrounded by red trolls holding big knives. The round creature called for help again, and I leapt down from my perch, slicing one of the trolls to dust as I came. Of course, I was surrounded in the next second.

A spin attack, followed by fatal blows as quick as I could deliver them, dispatched most of the others. The last two I had some trouble slipping my sword past their big knives. I was cut a few times, but they weren't deep, so I ignored them. Once the trolls were dead, I wiped some blood off my face and turned to face the unknown round creature.

"Wow! That was some craaaaazy moves, bud!" it-well, he-yelled. "Thanks for saving me there. Those red creeps are crawling around _everywhere_. I'd be busted if it weren't for you."

"Don't mention it," I answered. "I needed to blow off some steam and those trolls deserved it."

"Bokogoblins," he corrected me. Then he remembered himself, introducing himself as Gorko. "I'm an archeologist by trade, and I wander around, looking for relics from the time when the Goddess was with us. Speaking of, come look at this!"

Gorko ran off to the corner of the small clearing. I trailed after him, unwillingly, sheathing my sword. Hidden under a fountain of ivy was a stone statue of a bird. It looked unremarkable, until it glowed a fierce orange.

"Whoa!" Gorko hollered. "It's never done that before!"

A beam of light shot from the statue and disappeared into the clouds. I was certain Gorko would faint, though I didn't care either way.

"You must have activated it! Amazing! That would mean all the other statues are active now! I wonder if now they'll live up to the legends and take someone up to the Goddess' floating city..."

I left Gorko to his amazement and ran up the hill. The sooner I got to Faron woods, the closer to Link I'd be. And whatever warped destiny I had, it would have to wait until Link was safe. Nothing mattered until I got my best friend home.

There were more cries of red trolls-Bokogoblins-ahead. I climbed out of a small ravine and saw them circling a bush, chattering. It then occurred to me that the bush was squealing in terror. The moment I stood upright, the Bokogoblins rushed me. My sword sliced through them with no effort, and they were finished in seconds, leaving nothing behind aside from a few Ornamental Skulls. I walked over to the bush slowly.

Imagine my surprise when the bush stood up, revealing a tiny, brown, soft-looking creature. Then it talked.

"Kwii? Are the monsters gone?" Then it saw me. "Ahhh! Another one! And blue this time! Don't eat me!"

The creature flopped onto it's stomach, and the bush opened on it's back again, effectively hiding it. I knelt by it, putting my sword away.

"I'm not going to hurt you, little one," I assured the bush-creature. "I hate the bokogoblins as much as you do. In any case, I don't eat...well, whatever you are."

The bush vanished and the creature stood up.

"Kee-paleep? You won't?"

I promised I wouldn't, and the creature told me that he was a Kikwi, the native inhabitants of Faron Woods.

"My name is Machi," he continued. "Hey, come to think of it, I saw another funny animal like you running through the woods earlier."

"You did?" I asked, excited for the first time today. "Was he a head taller than me, with blue eyes, and dirty blonde hair?"

"Yeah, kwee. He was being chased by a whole swarm of those red guys. He was running away with the Kikwi elder."

"Do you know where I can find this elder?"

"Not really, kee-koo," Machi answered. "Sometimes he hides near the big tree. Oh, if you find him, can you tell him I'm safe?"

"Sure," I agreed. Machi then spent the next few minutes pointing out where the other members of the Kikwi tribe were; well, more of where he had last seen them.

Slipping my map into my pouch, I ran to the big tree, only stopping once to kill a few Deku Baba and a Quadro Baba. I spotted the elder-which wasn't hard due to his considerable bulk-across a small ravine. A vine, which was placed conveniently in my way, proved an easy way to cross over. The elder, Bucha, was very thankful to know that all his tribe members were safe. He even gave me a slingshot to thank me, though what use a slingshot would be, I had no idea.

"Kweee! Yes, I was with the boy," Bucha told me after I asked about Link. "I helped him escape the red monsters crawling through the woods. He ran faster than I could, so I lost him, but I'm sure I saw him go into the deep woods."

Bucha pointed me in the right direction, and I thanked him briefly before running off.

So close. Close enough to taste it.

_So close!_


	6. The Demon Lord

The deep woods were crawling with monsters-and hornets, as my stings proved. I had barely escaped Gorko's amazed lecture on the Goddess Cubes. I didn't care about "the wonders of the ancient world." Not when my friend needed me.

The door to the dungeon opened when I fired a deku seed from my slingshot at the pink-it just had to be pink, didn't it?-gemstone lock. Okay, so there was one use for it. But I didn't plan on needing it anymore.

The inside of the temple was cool and damp, but the humidity was terrible. I turned left at the bird statue and found myself tangled in a web. With some struggling, I broke free and pushed forward, only to be swarmed by keese-which I couldn't kill fast enough.

_Hold on Link_, I thought. _I'm here now. Just don't go anywhere._

*.*

Four hours later, I finally was twisting the Master Key into the last door between me and Link's aura. Whoever had designed this temple-or prison-was a lunatic: I kept getting lost, and every puzzle took so long that I feared my mission would be for naught, and my best friend long gone.

After shoving the key in the right way, the lock vanished and the doors opened wide. Heedless of any possible dangers, I charged inside, unable to wait any longer.

I came to an abrupt stop as I entered the circular room. There was someone else here. Someone who was not Link. A flare of bright yellow light temporarily blinded me as I came closer. When my eyes readjusted, I gasped.

Standing before me, holding a wicked black sword, was a tall man with snow-white skin, his back to me. With a wave of his sword, it melted into shadowy diamonds.

"Well look who it is," he remarked in a voice colder than winter. "I thought that tornado I'd stirred up would've torn apart. Yet here you are. Not in pieces." He paused.

"Not that your life or death has any consequence."

He turned to face me and it took all my willpower not to step back; half his face was concealed by long white bangs, but the half I could see was just freakish: a purple shadow under his eye, highlighting it, and a large blue diamond earring dangling from his ear. But it was the look in his eye that scared me: utterly pitiless and full of darkness.

Mercifully, he turned to look at the door before him, one marked with the Goddess' symbol.

"It's only the boy who matters now," he muttered to himself. "I can sense him here...just behind this door. We took him from his perch in the clouds and he belongs to us now."

"Oh listen to me," he continued, "I'm being horribly rude. I am the Lord of this land, the world you call the surface. You may call me Ghirahim. Though in truth, I like to be indulged with my full title, Lord Ghirahim But I'm not fussy."

"Whatever," I interrupted, seizing the hilt of my sword. "I don't care if you're Lord of the world. I'm taking my friend back. He doesn't belong to scum like you."

I pulled my sword free of it's sheath angrily to punctuate my sentence. Ghirahim didn't even so much as glance at me.

"Did you really just draw your sword. Foolish girl." He turned to face me and spread his arms wide. "By all rights, he should belong to us already. He was nearly ours when that foolish servant of the Goddess snatched him away. Do you have any idea how that made me feel?"

I was about to tell him that I didn't care, but suddenly the room began flashing between dark and light and the sick feeling I'd had by the sealing spike returned.

"Furious!" Ghirahim hollered. "Outraged! Sick with anger!"  
He suddenly vanished in a flash of diamonds, the room darkening and remaining so. His voice continued to sound as I spun around looking for him.

"This turn of events has left me with a strong appetite for bloodshed."

I froze when I realized that he was directly behind me. He began to whisper creepily in my ear.

"Still...it seems hardly fair, given my position-and yours for that matter-that I take all my anger out on you. Which is why I promise up front not to murder you...No, I'll just beat you within an inch of your life!"

Girahim licked his lips, and I stepped away as quick as I could, whirling to face him. Girahim chuckled to himself as his cloak dissolved into diamonds. I charged and swung my sword with all my might. Girahim caught the tip easily, his fingers glowing red. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he tossed my sword into the air and caught it.

"Hah, quite the sword you have here," he commented. Then his face twisted into a cruel grin. "But so long as you telegraph your moves like a novice, you'll never land a blow."

I circled him, waiting for an attack, and was not disappointed: Girahim slashed my own sword at me. Blocking the strike with my wooden shield, the sword flew from his grip. Dropping into a roll, I seized my sword, and stabbed at the Demon Lord again. Once again, my attack was effortlessly stopped.

_Telegraphing my moves_, I thought. I had to stop being so obvious. The next time Girahim walked towards me, I tried to keep my sword still until I struck. It worked: Girahim staggered from the hit. I eagerly repeated the method multiple times.

It would have been too easy, except for that Girahim changed his fighting tactic halfway through: he brought back his black sword. He charged whirling his sword with black vapor trailing from it. I leapt aside, my nausea returning. Then, with a snap of his fingers, vanished into a flurry of diamonds.

Suddenly, he reappeared, holding his sword in a vertical block. I maneuvered my blade around his and managed another mark on him.

The next time he attacked, he summoned several small knives, glowing red. I caught almost half of them on my shield, but the rest cut me on my legs and arms. He repeated the attack the second my shield dropped. With no other option, I slashed them with my sword. To my shock, they flew back at my opponent, further injuring him.

We went back and forth for what felt like an eternity. Then, as I swung the Goddess sword with all the energy I could muster, Girahim stumbled back, wiping a small trickle of blood from his mouth. Straightening, he pointed his black blade at me.

"Well...You put up more of a fight than I'd have thought possible out of a girl. But don't applaud yourself so quite yet. That sword of yours is the only reason you still live."

I was sorely tempted to run him through and show his what this "girl" was capable of. Girahim didn't even pay attention to my anger, and kept talking.

"I fear I've spent for too long teasing and toying with you. That's boys presence has all but faded, so there is no reason to linger here. Good-bye, sky child. Run and play this time. Get in my way agin, and you're dead."

With long wave of his sword, he vanished in a flurry of white diamonds.

I waited tensely for a minute, and when the Demon Lord did not reappear, I fell to my knees, using my sword like a cane to prop me up. I ached all over, and my chest hurt from my rapid breathing. The cuts and other wounds I'd sustained stung, and small drops of blood ran down the length of my blade.

I would never admit it aloud, but Girahim hit _hard_. His vainglorious, self-centered insanity-so much like Groose, now that I thought of it, minus the crazy evil desires-made her want to laugh, as well as cower. I could've handled his swordwork if he wasn't so intimidating.

After I felt sufficiently rested, I turned to the door Girahim had said Link was behind. If what the Demon Lord said was true, then my whole search was in vain, and my friend was not there.

As I came to the door, the Goddess crest flashed white, then faded away, taking the door with it. Sheathing the sword I walked through, scarcely allowing myself to hope. Whether or not he was there, this was the end of my journey. It had to be. I would not continue and risk crossing swords with that madman again.

I was sure that this had to be the end.


End file.
